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beernutmark writes "Well, it looks like Santa or at least Norad/Google hates Linux. This year, for the first time since its inception, Norad is not making a simple .kml file available for download to track Santa. You must connect to their website with a Windows/Mac browser and use the browser plugin. No full-screen Google Earth to look at the beautiful areas around Santa's path. (Anyone have any open source source kml files for tracking Santa or any idea how we can go about making one for 2010?)"

Hey, I just felt something woosh over my head! Was it Santa!? Maybe he does exist!

I'm pretty sure he's still stuck in an interrogation room at a US border somewhere...

TSA : So tell me again what you're doing with all those kid's name and addresses while we finish checking all those laptopsSanta : Look, I just explained it all for the fifth time to that other government guy just a couple hours ago !

Hey Al is just trying to protect Santa! You wouldn't want to give away his heading to ManBearPig [wikipedia.org] would you? If Santa ran into ManBearPig it would be super cereal!

And of course while he is at it he is having a little talk with Santa, because it turns out those lumps of coal he leaves in bad children's stockings are bad for the environment, so Al is gonna fly up next to him in his "carbon neutral" (thanks to giving himself a generous amount of carbon credits this year) Lear Jet and try to talk Santa into g

Not.kml, no. Prior to 2000 the information was stored on.elf files, which are proprietary to the North Pole. They've been in use for centuries, but a.elf generally causes problems on newer computers, so.kml is more widely used now.

Here [google.com] dude, I don't know if it is too late for you or not, but this page seems to work for me in a cleanly installed Windows with NO Google Earth (or frankly much of anything besides Firefox and Flash) installed. Merry Xmas!

1. Open web browser of your choice.2. Go to noradsanta.com3. (if you have NoScript, turn it off or at least unblock everything but googleanalytics).4. On the right hand side, there's a diagonal arrow. Click it.5. Hit whatever button makes your browser go fullscreen.

There. Full-screen Santa-y goodness.

Admittedly not QUITE as good as Google Earth, but you can at least get a full-screen Google Maps experience which is pretty darned close.

Does Santa Hate Linux?beernutmark writes "Well, it looks like Santa or at least Norad/Google hates Linux. This year, for the first time since its inception, Norad is not making a simple.kml file available for download to track Santa. You must connect to their website with a Windows/Mac browser and use the browser plugin. No full-screen Google Earth to look at the beautiful areas around Santa's path. (Anyone have any open source source kml files for tracking Santa or any idea how we can go about making one for 2010?)"

Gee, I wonder which line of this summary got this story posted. I wonder if those complaining about Apple rumor stories will catch this.

Of course Santa hates Linux. I mean, think about it, he's Mr. Materialism. Santa is all about shopping malls. It's that smart rabbi, that Jesus guy, who talked about sharing with others as a path to happiness, not Santa. Santa's heart belongs to Microsoft.

They figure non-Linux users will be too stupid to figure out that the tracking is identical to last year's. If you really want to know what happened to Santa, well, the Russians know something. [dailymail.co.uk]

Actually, Linux would be related closer to "pagan" or polytheistic religions. We believe in multiple gods (software authors), although there is a high deity (Linus) who created the universe (Linux) where the rest reside. Some of the other deities work not only in his universe, but in others as well (other *nix's, and even Windows).

The gods are kind and benevolent. Not only do they bestow their gifts upon us (software), but they show us the way (source) so we can ascend to their level.

Not only do they welcome ascension, but the know that no being, god or mortal, is without flaw. They listen when we say there is a problem (bug report) and accept our suggestions (patches) to make the universe better.

Praise be to the gods and goddesses.

And to you, on the cusp of the celebration of the Winter Solstice, I wish you and yours the best. May we help educate the nonbelievers (monotheistic computer followers) into seeing the light (the world which is *nix).

The gods are kind and benevolent. Not only do they bestow their gifts upon us (software), but they show us the way (source) so we can ascend to their level.
Not only do they welcome ascension, but the know that no being, god or mortal, is without flaw. They listen when we say there is a problem (bug report) and accept our suggestions (patches) to make the universe better.

so...the OSS developers are the Ancients and the proprietary software developers are the Ori? That explains the burning sensation

The false gods (Microsoft VAR) are all among us. Fear them not, for they hold no real power.

So say the gods. So say we all.

Actually, ascension isn't a Stargate creation. It's common among many theologies, that in death you will join your god (or gods) in their plane of existence. For the sake of keeping this simple for everyone, in Christian mythology, the good will rise (ascend) to heaven, to spend eternity with God. The riff-raff would be sent away to oth

You have "Prime Mover" named Linus, who created for you, Linux, the one true religion. Anybody who believes in anything different is just uninformed and possibly evil. You have an explanation for why every flaw in your system is by design, and the way things should be, while every flaw in all other system is proof that yours is the only right one.

Well, "pagan" is a blanket term for anything not judeo-christian, typically all those "other" polytheistic religions. But yes, kind and loving isn't exactly the best way to describe most of them.:) The same can be said of the old testament "God" too. Well, unless catastrophic floods, plagues, and vengeance is "kind".

The point of my original comment wasn't to say there isn't similarity between Judaism, Christianity, and even Islam. It was to say that the expression "Judeo-Christian" is a nonsense creation of political correctness. If one is identifying a religious source for one's thoughts, stick to the religion it comes from.

Still, if you're going to use Wikipedia as a primary source... and suggest I go read it... perhaps rather than reading that blog I'll just share facts with you. And yes, I wish everyone a Merry

The original statement was regarding the Linux universe, and Linus created the core of it.

I won't argue that there were others who came before him. That's the wonders of polytheism. You can recognize the gods and goddesses for what they've done, and respect them accordingly. You obviously understand the older gods, and respect them accordingly.

Of course, it's all a complete mangling of the meaning of Nietzsche's quote, but hey, taking a single sound bite (or quote) out of context is fun.:) I'm surprised some particular mainstream news organizations don't piece together individual words to make something to talk about. There's a conspiracy newsletter that I ended up on, that does this all the time. They'll take a single factual event, and wrap a

This could be just a really lame joke post, but since it got modded interesting I guess I will falling for it if it is... Get a little perspective? You have a sig that says "Life's too short." but you spend your time getting riled up about the government spending a tiny bit of money amusing children over the holidays... OH THE HORROR! Also, a large number of non-religious families do the whole Santa thing too you know. It is just something fun for kids, not "propagandising children".

Norad Tracks Santa uses 1,200 volunteers and money from several corporate sponsors. Only 1 person is assigned from Norad to manage it year-round, and it's not his/her full time job.

None of your precious tax money is being used for this. Santa is also not a Christian symbol at all anymore, but is really the symbol of the secular Christmas. Most people in the West who are not Jewish celebrate Christmas, with or without the religious part. Hell, Santa is huge in Japan, and they have very few Christians there. There was a story on CNN earlier today about how Santa is used there as a symbol to celebrate the New Year, and they're primarily Muslims.

I'm sorry you had a bunch of crappy Christmases as a child, but there's no need to take it out on everyone else.

Hell, Santa is huge in Japan, and they have very few Christians there. There was a story on CNN earlier today about how Santa is used there as a symbol to celebrate the New Year, and they're primarily Muslims.

Most people in the West who are not Jewish celebrate Christmas, with or without the religious part.

Actually many jewish people celebrate the holiday as well. Just it's not a religious holiday in any way for them any more than it is for atheists like me. It's become a general purpose holiday of giving that is often divorced from its original religious roots.

Santa is big in Japan as a symbol of Xmas, but Xmas in Japan isn't about kids getting gifts - it's actually more of a holiday for adults, in which couples exchange gift. It resembles the Anglo-American Valentine's Day more. Kids get gifts and money on New Year's day in Japan, and Santa's got little to do with it.

I don't see why your so disturbed by what you call lies. You would perhaps prefer to live in a world of documentaries and biographies, with no place for fiction, fantasy or imagination. That's a pretty boring place if you ask me. Most people (surely not you) that have problems with this, appear to have serious problems in telling fact from fiction, and thus feel that someone is trying to get something over on them.. that's paranoia.. paranoia will destroy ya.. Chill out, it about fantasy and imagination, an

Maybe you get looked at as being insane for raving on about not wanting to take part. I know I don't get any backlash for simply explaining to people that I'm not a holiday person. They seem to accept it and move on. I could understand their amusement if I went around spouting about a "culture of lies".

To be frank, you look like a complete kook and I say this as a person who doesn't believe in Christmas and finds holidays a waste of time. I'm sorry, but I'm being honest.

Putting "^_^" as the end of your posts does not make you any less an asshole. Nobody cares about your hate for Christmas and the people who celebrate it. You are the guy who has to tell everyone you don't have a TV when they discuss a show they all watched at work? Just get over yourself already and grow up.

You don't have to believe in God or Jesus Christ to appreciate the magic of Santa Claus, and what it means to millions of people with purer hearts than you or I possess. So lighten up.

That's so wrong, I don't know where to begin, but here goes:

1. Santa Claus is unrelated to Christianity.

2. Christmas is really a pagan festival that in relatively recent times was adopted by the Christian church and later by business people who wanted to sell more goods. The conversion into the event of mass consumption o

Right, so you don't have to believe in God or Jesus to appreciate Santa.

2. Christmas is really a pagan festival that in relatively recent times was adopted by the Christian church and later by business people who wanted to sell more goods. The conversion into the event of mass consumption of goods that we have today was done very deliberately.

Again, no need to be a Christian to appreciate Santa.

As for the commercialism, you are free to give it the finger and still appreciate the spirit of Santa. Greet the sunrise on the 21st (and go on for 12 days). Give an elderly neighbor the gift of a snow-free driveway and good food. Prepare a feast. Give your mail carrier some home baked treats, etc. etc. They can't MAKE you go to the mall and abuse your credit cards and a lot of gestur

I would personally like to put in an endorsement for Christmas since I have had much better luck asking for things from Santa than asking for things from the baby Jesus/God combo. I don't think baby Jesus has once answered my prayers but the whole Christmas list thing works quite well and I am a true believer.

That "Christian fairy-tale" you are whining about is responsible for more joy, laughter, wonder, and good will in this world than anything else you can name.

You don't have to believe in God or Jesus Christ to appreciate the magic of Santa Claus, and what it means to millions of people with purer hearts than you or I possess. So lighten up.

And Merry Christmas.

I think I would put the near-end of slavery as an institution, the development of modern medicine, literacy, and vastly improved agricultural methods way ahead of Santa Claus (which is generally limited to a subset of European cultures, anyway.) And when the poor kid goes to school and finds out that Santa loves the rich kids more than he loves him, one can begin to criticize the Calvinist implications smuggled into the Santa Claus legend.

I'm an atheist too, but I celebrate Christmas. Why? Because I suspect that, like a lot of myths, the story of Jesus started with a grain of truth. I figure he was probably a Jewish rabble-rouser who went around preaching a philosophy of pacifism - a dangerous thing to do in an empire whose wealth and power was based almost entire on continuous military expansion. So, he caught the attention of the emperor, was executed, and as with many martyrs, his tale grew in the telling.

In 1956, a Colorado Springs-based Sears store ran an advertisement encouraging people to call Santa Claus on a special kind of telephone hotline. Due to a printing error, the phone number that was printed was the hotline that was actually for Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD). Then-Colonel Harry Shoup received the first call on Christmas Eve of 1955, from a six-year old boy who began reciting his Christmas list. Shoup then didn't find the call funny, but after asking the mother of the second caller what was happening, then realizing the mistake that had occurred, he told his staff to give Santa's position to any child who called in. Three years on, the government of the United States and Canada combined their respective national domestic air defenses into the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), but the tradition continued. Now major media outlets as well as children call in to inquire on Santa's location. NORAD relies on volunteers to help make Santa tracking possible. Many employees at Cheyenne Mountain and Peterson Air Force Base spend part of their Christmas Eve with their families and friends at NORAD's Santa Tracking Operations Center, in order to answer phones and provide Santa updates to thousands of callers. In 1997, Canadian Major Jamie Robertson took over the program and expanded it to the Web, where corporation-donated services have given the tradition global accessibility.